Approximately 5,000 fuel poor homes are set to have their heating controls upgraded under the extended 'Energy Saving Scheme'.

Electric Ireland and climote announced the extension of the scheme at the 8th annual Energy Action Fuel Poverty Conference in Croke Park.

This scheme will see the public and private sectors collaborate to deliver an innovative energy efficient initiative based on the use of smart technology.

The upgrade will allow homeowners to control their heating timings and temperature via a smartphone, text message or online. This type of technology has been proven to reduce energy consumption by up to 20% every year.

Since 2013, more than 12,000 Local Authority and Housing Association homes nationwide have been upgraded with climote's remote control heating system. Not only have families in Local Authority homes seen a significant reduction in their energy costs, but climote's technology allows its customer support service to resolve 95% of customer issues remotely so families no longer must wait for someone to turn up to fix their heating.

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Clúid Housing, Ireland's largest housing association, has committed to upgrading its entire housing stock by the end of 2020.

Marguerite Sayers, Executive Director, Customer Solutions, ESB commented: "At Electric Ireland, we are really pleased to announce the continuation of this valuable project which, to date, has helped over 12,000 customers better control their energy use, thereby reducing their bills and at the same time, helping the environment. This is another way in which we support customers who may be struggling with their fuel costs, as well as providing them with the convenience and flexibility of a smart energy controller, and it also underpins our commitment to a low carbon future."

Eamon Conway, Managing Director of climote added: "The real benefit for consumers and Government is that the entire scheme is funded by industry. The project focuses on families in the fuel poor category. So, it gives this proportion of society the ability to reduce energy costs by up to 20% every year with little or no intrusion to their home. Installation is complete in 30-40 minutes and each approved installer provides a full demonstration at installation."

(CM/JG)